Chaos Comes In Many Forms
by Shyro Foxfeather
Summary: [Detective Conan] Ran discovers the magic that is Inkblots. Very strange story.


Chaos Comes In Many Forms

By Shyro Foxfeather

Ran speedily rushed up to the front of the classroom with her assignment. Shinichi watched in mild amusement from their table where they were working on their extra credit Art projects.

The teachers had shoved the students into one of the more empty rooms, which was covered in two to three person tables. Four to six, if others sat on the opposing side as well. It was a little more than obvious they were trying to prepare for any impromptu paint wars that might occur. Currently Ran and Shinichi were working away from the rest of the class at a table they had to themselves. Ran had quickly finished her assignment and was turning it in as Shinichi—who is actually not that bad of an artist—finished touching up his piece.

Just as Ran was ambling back to their table the bell rang. Shinichi hurriedly rushed out of the classroom saying something along the lines of having some imperative business to attend to.

Ran idly wondered if he was going to go play 'Twister' with Hattori again.

When she scooped up her sketchbook her eyes caught on a piece of paper that fluttered gently to the ground. Picking it up her eyes scrunched up in confusion.

"Sensei! Sensei!" Ran called over to the teacher who was very much the only person left in the midst of the chaotic classroom.

The frazzled woman walked swiftly over. "Yes Mouri-san?" She asked.

"Ano… What's this?" Ran queried handing her teacher the paper.

The teacher looked at the messy black splotch on the paper and tilted her head to the side. She handed it back to Ran. "That looks a bit like a flash card used for ink blot tests." Ran, knowing what one was, looked backed to the paper with a raised eyebrow. "Perhaps you could try it on your friends. Find out what their minds cause them to see. You can learn a lot about people that way."

"Oh… Okay. Thank you for your help, Sensei!" Chirped the girl as she seized her book bag and sprinted out of the classroom to catch up to Sonoko.

The teacher looked around the room in dismay and murmured in a small voice. "Now who's going to help me clean this room up…?"

Outside…

"Ran-chan! Why are you so late!" Sonoko exclaimed as she lingered at the gate for the girl in question to come closer.

"Gomen ne, Sonoko-chan. Look at what I found!" Ran held the paper out to Sonoko. Sonoko blinked and snatched the paper up looking at it oddly. "What do you see in it? It's a ink blot flash card!"

Sonoko opened her mouth with an 'Oh' sound before glimpsing back to the paper. "I see… I see… A complex carbohydrate." Sonoko finished with a grin.

Silence.

Ran promptly fell over. "What!?" She shrieked.

"Hey. You can't tell me it _doesn't _look like one, now can you?" Sonoko prodded. "Besides I'm going to be late for my tutoring and that hot guy Minaki-san is teaching me! Bai Bai!" With that Sonoko ran off to once again fulfill her role as the most desperate woman on the planet.

Ran blinked and went on her way home to ask her father.

At The Mouri Detective Agency…

"Otou-san! Otou-san!" Ran growled as her father lay sprawled on the couch napping off a hangover. "OTOU-SAN!!" Ran screamed.

"Aaaaaaaaaawp!"

-Crash-

"What do you want?" He asked in a small voice as he now lay unceremoniously on the ground clutching his head.

"What do _you _think this ink blot looks like?"

Kogorou just looked at his daughter like she'd grown a second head before his eyes trailed down to the paper.

Which he promptly glomped. The paper, that is.

Ran had to literally wrestle it from his grasp ignoring the outcries of 'Yoko Okino! How I love you!!' from her father. She scurried out the office door and vowed to get her vengeance by pouring his liquor down the sink when she returned.

The Park…

Walking on her way to Shinichi's house to ask _him _what he thought of her ink blot test—and knowing him he'd probably say Sherlock Holmes, or Moriarty, or maybe even Irene Adler—she was stopped abruptly by three children that ran up to her all smiles and laughter. And one not-child that was all icy glares and cold shoulders.

"Ran-neechan!" Ayumi whined. "Have you heard from Conan-kun lately? He hasn't visited since _forever_!"

"Yeah, it's strange. Maybe he has new friends?" Mitsuhiko suggested. At Ayumi's tearful gaze he quickly added, "But he could _never ever _forget about us!" Ayumi brightened a little.

"Even I'm starting to miss him." Genta murmured.

Ran watched in semi-amusement and a small amount of guilt for not telling them where 'Conan-kun' really was. Ai said nothing.

"I'm sure he'll talk to you soon! He has your phone numbers, right?" At the children's nods she continued. "Then there's no doubt you'll hear from him soon, all right? So cheer up!" The kids smiled brightly intent on punishing their glasses bearing friend for not calling them sooner.

"Hey…" Ran began as she rummaged through her bag. "This is called a ink blot test. It can tell someone a little about how your mind works." She announced brandishing the paper with triumph at their amazed looks. "Just tell me what you see in it, okay?" The children nodded eagerly and looked at the paper with interest.

"I think it looks like a… Moon." Ayumi cooed as she remembered the night the Kaitou Kid landed on the balcony of her room during a heist. And how she had accused him of being Dracula.

"I believe…" Mitsuhiko started, attempting to sound more mature for Ayumi. "It's an Airplane. Meant to fly around the world with!" Mitsuhiko declared nobly. Ayumi giggled.

"I bet'cha it's a tomato!" Genta cried happily. The others mildly sweat dropped.

Ai walked up casually and took a long look at the paper that still hung from Ran's hands. "If I am not mistaken I believe it could be a being who caused great problems for those around him and was stripped from his life and forced to take upon the tasks of a human child." Ran jumped and twitched a bit at Haibara's answer.

The _real _children just looked confused.

"Ah… Well, that's nice. I really have to go now, things to do an all that. Bai!" With that Ran left, once again in search of Shinichi.

Ai watched with a narrowed gaze until Ran scurried around the corned. Then she smiled.

"Time for the piñata!" She cheered.

"Huzzah!" Cried the others.

Outside Shinichi's House…

Shinichi was carefully sweeping leaves into finely sized piles when Ran ran up once more brandishing the paper in her hand.

"Shinichi-kun!" She hollered which in return gained his attention.

"Hey Ran. Ano… What's that?" Asked the detective pointing to the mildly crumpled sheet of compressed and dyed wood.

"Oh! It's an inkblot flash card! What do you see in it Shinichi-kun?" She asked eagerly. Anything that helped her figure how _his_ mind worked was a point in her book.

Shinichi leaned in and took a careful look at the paper Ran held up.

"Ran…" Shinichi began with a sigh. He stood upright. "That's not an ink blot."

"It's not?" Ran asked a little perplexed.

"No. It is not." Shinichi said.

"Then _what _is it?" Ran frowned and studied the paper again.

Shinichi moved to stand beside her and pointed to the picture. "You remember that cat you were drawing in Art class?"

"Yeah…" Ran frowned again, seeing this as irrelevant.

"You colored it in with Sharpie pen. _Black Sharpie Pen. _That's the paper that was behind it in your sketchbook."

"Oh…"

Owari

Disclaimer: Chaos, Logic, and myself lay no claim upon Detective Conan and are thus sadly disappointed in our Evil Genius tactics.

Somehow the thought of Ran running around with the faux Ink Blot was really amusing.

Idea came to me in Health class as I stared at the posters above the chalkboard. They're not Ink Blots but they're some blotty-ish style.

Ayumi's moon comment and the complex carbohydrates thing is from Health Class. One of the posters was of a moon.

Also, Ayumi _did _accuse Kaitou Kid of being Dracula. It was at the beginning of movie 3.

Haibara Ai _could _be talking about Conan. Or Loki from Matantei Loki Ragnorak. Take your pick.

Chaos has a theory. He thinks that Ai is really actually very hyper, just not around people who know who she _really _is. And no one's taken the time to inform those particular people about it either.

Dr. Agasa _was _going to make a cameo but I decided against it seeing as this fic is all ready way longer than I intended. I guess that's a good thing since I won't be able to post during the weekend. Sorry 'bout that too.

Translations For those who need it.:

(Sensei Teacher)

(Ano Um…)

(Gomen ne Sorry)

Hope you enjoyed it!


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